21] 



Banana. 



is merely a variety of the 

 Plantain, and it is a diffi- 

 cult matter to define the 

 boundary line between the 

 two. The Banana has a 

 shorter and thicker fruit 

 than the Plantain, but there 

 is not much difference in 

 flavour. The stems of the 

 Banana are also more spot- 

 ted, but they do not differ 

 much in other respects. 

 Though the fruit used in 

 these colonies is commonly 

 known as Bananas, they are 

 in reality Plantains. Musa 

 is the type of the natural 

 order Musaceae, and the 

 species rank among our 

 largest herbaceous plants. 

 The stems are soft, varying from four 

 to fifteen feet in height, with leaves 

 measuring from six to ten feet in 

 length with a proportionate breadth. 

 The species are indigenous to the 

 warmer parts of Asia, and the useful 

 kinds have been widely distributed 

 by mankind through the tropical 

 regions of the world. 



USES. 



The Banana is one of the chief 

 food plants in most tropical countries, 

 and is extensively cultivated. It 

 is a fruit that is produced within a 

 year of the time of planting, and will 

 yield a larger amount of food from 

 a given area than any other plant. 

 According to a calculation made by 

 Humbolt the celebrated German 

 traveller and scientist, an area that 



will yield thirty-three pounds of wheat and ninety-nine of potatoes will 

 produce fo ur thousand pounds of Bananas. Consequently the produce of 

 Bananas in proportion to wheat is 133 to 1, and potatoes 44 to 1. 

 Another great recommendation for the Banana is that the fruit is pro- 

 produced in succession, and is in season throughout the year. The 

 bunches are produced at the top of the stems, tin young fruit surrounding 

 the flower stalk, Bunches will carry from sixty to two hundred and 



Plantain. 



